Irish fans of the X Factor who have been unable to vote are now being offered the chance to keep their favourite acts in the show.

Viewers in the Republic have found a loophole which means they can now vote through a new website, Free2Call.tv.

The news could prove beneficial for X Factor contestants John and Edward Grimes. The Dublin twins have been unable to avail of Irish support so far.

Viewers in the Republic who watch the weekly show on ITV or TV3 are told that “voting lines are not open to viewers in the Republic of Ireland”.

But Free2Call.tv claims it can route Irish and UK calls to the official X Factor phone numbers cheaply, provided callers listen to a 15 second advertisement.

When the X Factor voting lines open, Irish callers can dial 00044 33 66698, followed by the number of the act they want to win. They have to listen to a 15 second advertisement first, before they are put through to the official number.

Ofcom said the service seemed to be compliant with the rules.

However ITV and TV3 said they could not confirm the claims.

It is understood that last weekend, when the Free2Call.tv service began, 106 calls out of a total of 8,000 were from the Republic.

Scotsman Rikki Loney became the latest contestant to be voted off the talent show last night.

Meanwhile, John and Edward, who turned 18 this week, have divided viewers of the X Factor, who love and loathe them in equal measures. The Grimes boys caused an upset last Sunday night when they avoided ending up in the sing-off, despite poor reviews from the judges.

Host Dermot O’Leary told them they were the “most talked about twins in Britain”.

However the teenagers have started to win some support, with Simon Cowell describing their Saturday night performance as “like watching the Exorcist for the first time. I didn’t like it, but I wanted to see it again.”

And Cheryl Cole told them they were the act she looked forward to watching the most.